


Hands Tearing the Sky Apart

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tenki no Ko | Weathering With You Fusion, Cute Yamaguchi Tadashi, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Inspired by Tenki no Ko | Weathering With You, M/M, Magic Realism, Multi, Pining Tsukishima Kei, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Yamaguchi Tadashi has Powers, no beta we die like daichi, sjjsjsjs let's see how long I can write this without giving up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:48:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24871072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tell me, why are we allowed to feel hope?And if it's just gonna slip out of my handsThen why even give it to me?'Cause ain't it sad how we try to hold onKnowing one day, it'll be goneOr maybe it's beautiful?-is there still anything love can do?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. This Story You Told  Me

It was raining that day. The day in the hospital. The day that changed the world forever. 

The green-haired, freckled boy held his mother’s hand tight. She hadn’t opened her eyes in months. He sat on the stool beside her, his hands clasped her painfully bony one’s. He nervously looked at the the heart monitor. It hasn’t flat-lined. Not yet anyway. Taking his eyes off of the monitor he looked to the big window in the hospital room and watched as the raindrops race down the glass.

Something caught his eye. Amidst the dark, dreary city of Tokyo; a pool of sunlight. Amongst the tall buildings as far as the eye could see, the roof of one lone building shone. Curious. Standing up, after bidding farewell to his mother, he left the hospital room and made his way out of the building. Pulling out his umbrella, he knocked shoulders with people as he made his way towards the sun. 

The building was abandoned. Rusty, faded signs stuck higgly-piggly everywhere. He looked up through his vinyl umbrella; this was the right building. Around it’s side, he found a small parking lot and a set of corroded emergency stairs leading up to the roof. Atop the shining roof of the  dilapidated building , he was captivated for a moment by what he saw. The roof, surrounded by a railing, was not in it’s best shape. The floor tiles were cracked and falling to pieces, the whole of its surface covered in weeds. At the very back, he saw a small torii gate. Cradled in thick foliage and perfectly highlighted by the ray from the gap between the clouds. The vermillion gate sparkled with wet droplets. 

He put down his umbrella and slowly walked through the gates. Every step he took, he heard the soft crunching sound of the weeds and felt a pleasant springiness beneath his feet. On the other side of the torii was a small stone shrine, small purple flowers growing thickly around it. Nearly hidden in the flowers were two Obon decorations. A horse made of cucumber and an ox made of eggplant, with thin bamboo-strip legs. He clasped his hands tight, fervently praying, wishing.  _ Let the rain stop. _ He closed his eyes, walking through the gate.  _ Let Mom wake up. Let us walk under the clear skies together. If only for a day. If only for a moment. _

The air changed.

The tapping of the rain cut out.

He opened his eyes by a fraction, then all at once.

_ He was flying. _

High above the city, above the clouds, above it all. 

_ No- he was falling. _

Wind coiled around him, moaning lower and deeper than he’d heard before. With every exhalation, his breath turned white and froze, sparkling in the deep blue. He was not scared, he felt no fear. It was an odd sensation, like a walking dream. 

He looked down at his feet, a multitude of cumulonimbus clouds formed like enormous heads of cauliflowers. Each miles wide, forming a magnificent sky forest. 

The colour of one of the clouds was changing, he realized. On the flat top created by the atmospheric boundary, patches of green were beginning to appear. It was almost like a grassland. On the top of a cloud, invisible to anyone on the ground. His eyes widened a rush of  _ somethings  _ swam around him. Terrified, he turned around, trying to get a glimpse of it.

“...Fish?”

He wasn’t mistaken anymore. Flying, transparent, glistening water fishes. Undulating in a leisurely way, sketching geometric spirals. As he fell, he watched them intently. There were thousands of them, uncountable numbers swimming over the cloud-top plain…

A fish brushed his fingertips. Their transparent little bodies slipped through his fingers and hair like wind given weight. The sun streamed through all their many shapes, making them shine like prisms. 

The endless blue, the white clouds, the rustling plains, the shining fishes flashing all colours of the rainbow- he was in a beautiful sky world. One beyond his own imagination. The heavens opened up below, the rain clouds blanketing the world below unravelled and melted away, letting the glorious, golden rays of the sun shine Tokyo Metropolis. Every single building, every single car, every single pane of glass shone proudly in the sunlight. The town seemed to have been reborn, washed by the rain, and he slowly drifted down into it. He could feel himself become one with everything. He simply knew, in a sensation indescribable with words, that he was a part of this world. He was wind and water, blue and white, mind and wish. A strange happiness and keen sorrow pumped through his blood, flowing all through him. Then slowly, as if falling asleep on his futon, his vision dimmed and faded.

_ For better or for worse, during that summer spent with the enigmatic yet charming freckled boy, the both of them knew that they had changed the shape of the world they knew forever. _


	2. The Miyagi Runaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Born with nothing in my hands  
> I stumbled upon this place  
> Falling through a crack in time  
> I was writhing in pain  
> When those who make it in this age  
> Are only those who learn how to take  
> And everyone is giving up
> 
> \- where do we all take a breath?

Kei didn’t know what he was thinking when he decided to abandon common sense and take a train to Tokyo. He withdrew all the money in his bank account, packed his bags and took the earliest train, making a battle plan along the way. He was trying to focus on making a good plan, but he was too caught up in the adrenaline. It didn’t help that the guy beside him is kind of a dick.

“You going to Tokyo?”

Kei bit back a snarky retort. “Yes, yes I am.”

“Where are your parents? You look 15!”

“I am 15. And my parents are at home.”

“Then why are you going to Tokyo by yourself?”

“I’m… visiting a cousin.”

“You hesitated,” pointed out the dark-haired man whose atrocious bed head was begging to be insulted really.

“Is that any of your concern?”

Shut up.

The guy soon stopped persisting but still sent Kei worried glances along the two-hour train ride as Kei wrote down numbers and possible things he could do in Tokyo. Kei tapped away on his phone, trying to find a possible job for teens. No results. He's fucked.

He ignored the worried texts his brother sent him. He’ll delete the contact later. Maybe.

Closing the internet, he switched to Spotify and plugged his headphones in. Randomly selecting a playlist he already made, he listened to the soft music play as he stared out the window. He couldn’t wait to get out of here.

Unfortunately, the train ride couldn’t last forever. Now, he’s stuck on a train station in Tokyo without any direction or idea where to go. Bed Head Weirdo Man was still looking at Kei weirdly and Kei was getting annoyed. Finally, the man handed him a small slip of paper.

_Kuroo Tetsurou_

_Nekoma-Fukurodani Planning (Ltd.)_

_Tokyo, Nerima Ward, Yahara_

“Whenever you need, come by.” Kei just nodded numbly in reply. The man, Kuroo-san, smirked and with a wave, left him alone on the station. Lost. Oh how Kei wished he had thought this through.

He was never coming by.

\---

Kei did not think this through. He was in a spot a good ways back from the main street, by a string of connected building with low eaves. Several eateries stood in a row, their light extinguished. There were no doors on their entryways, and Kei was sitting inside one of the cramped entrances. Not the best place to sleep in but it would have to do.

He blinked his sleepiness away, trying to get his eyes to focus once more. Tokyo… wasn’t the best, but it sure as hell beat being at home any longer. He didn’t want to go back, no matter what. Kei buried his face in his knees again. The dull pain in his feet from all the walking melted away, and he dozed off again.

“Eek! Somebody’s there!”

“Huh, for real? Whoa, you’re right!”

“Agh, what's with this kid? I think he’s asleep!”

“Hey, you!”

A deep voice sounded over Kei’s head, and he mourns the lost seconds of shut-eye. In front of him stood a blond man in a suit glaring down at him. The entrance was now brightly lit, and the man was accompanied by two women.

“You got business here?”

“Excuse me?”

“Get the fuck out of here!”

The anger in his tone made Kei stand up hurriedly. Just as he passed by the man, he lost his balance. The man had kicked Kei’s ankle with his foot. On impulse, Kei grabbed at the trash can by the vending machine and took it down with him in an ungraceful dive towards wet asphalt. The lid came off, sending empty cans clattering all over the road.

“Hey, are you okay?!”

“Oh, forget about him,” interrupted the blond man as he put an arm around the woman’s shoulder, “As I was saying, you’ll make a killing working at our place. Come in and let me explain, all right?”

With that, the man ushered the two women into the building and disappeared after them. Not a glance back at Kei.

Hastily, Kei put the trash bin back in place, reluctantly picking up the scattered contents (Is this his life now? Should he resign himself into a job as a janitor? Essential workers need to be paid more). The scattered garbage was more than just cans; there were empty bento boxes and food waste he dare not touch.

There was a distinctly heavy paper bag among the garbage. About the size of a hardcover book and flipping it over, it had packing tape wound around and around it.

\---

Ka-thunk.

As Kei peeled off the packing tape, the paper bag ripped, and its contents fell to the restaurant floor. After the heavy metallic clunk, Kei quickly reached down to grab it.

“Huh?”

In his hands was a gun. Flustered (something Kei was usually not), he shoved it into his backpack. The ominous chill of the metal grip lingered in his hand, ghost-touch.

He was in a late-night McDonald’s, a familiar place if quiet at night. Most were silently focused on their smartphones. Nobody was looking his way. Paranoid, he tried to control his breathing.

“It’s got to be a toy,” he rationalized, “Why would anyone hide a gun there.” He knew he wasn’t truly convinced himself but the idea of holding one was too scary.

He pulled himself together and got comfortable in his seat. He rummaged through the pocket of his jeans, then set a crumpled slip of paper on the table.

_Kuroo Tetsurou_

_Nekoma-Fukurodani Planning (Ltd.)_

_Tokyo, Nerima Ward, Yahara_

Kei punched the address into Google Maps. It was twenty-seven minutes away by city bus. It was closer than he expected.

Kei wrapped his hands around the paper cup of soup and slowly slipped the last mouthful. Outside was a bright, enormous outdoor TV, obscured by the rain. The bustle of everyday life in Kabuki-cho seeped into his ears like sound leaking from headphones. He slumped over the table. Beggars can’t be choosers.

The boy remembered that day he resolved to go. He was walking, making sure his every step sounded off his anger, trying to cancel out the pain from where he had hit him. It had been raining in Miyagi then, too. Thick rain clouds rolled across the sky, only several broken rays had lanced down through the gaps.  
‘Someday,’ he promised to himself, ‘this would all end.’

Suddenly, he felt a breeze blew across him, gently ruffling his hair. It sure wasn’t the restaurant air conditioner. It felt like real wind, the sort that carried the scent of grass from a distant sky above.

A Big Mac box sat right in front of Kei.

Startled, he looked over his shoulder.

A boy was standing there, dressed in the McDonald’s uniform: a deep blue shirt, black apron, and a grey newsboy cap sat atop his messy locks of green hair. A splattering of freckles decorated his tan face as he grinned, putting a finger to his lips.

“Um, I didn’t-”

That made the boy chuckle, and the colors around Kei brightened just a fraction. As though the sun had broken through the clouds- or maybe it was just Kei’s hallucination.

“That’s for you. You looked like you needed it. Don’t tell.”

The boy (who must have been Kei’s age) winked at the blond and trotted away, a bounce in his step. If Kei wasn’t so stunned, he would’ve found the gesture grossly cute.

The Big Mac box sat on the table like a special present. Lifting the lid, he was met with the savory aroma of the meat and the soft swell of the thick bun. When Kei picked it up, it was heavy. Melted cheese and crispy lettuce peeked from between the beef patties.

Kei would not be exaggerating when he said that in all fifteen years he had been alive, that was, without a doubt, the most delicious dinner he’d ever had.

\---

“Ah, Iwa-chan! Fancy seeing you here!”

“What are you talking about? We planned to meet here, Trashykawa.”

Their loud greeting took him out of his music trance. Now, Kei was by far the furthest thing from innocent but true, the use of dirty language shocked him. Especially since the voice who said it belonged to a tiny boy.

“Iwa-chan! Meanie!”

“Shut up, idiot!”

Kei sneaked a glance at the pair. The two boys couldn't have been older than ten years old. The boy who, Iwa-chan Kei presumed, was the shorter of the two. His black hair was spiked whereas the other boy with brown hair had his swept to the side, giving off a more princely aura. His eyes went back to his smartphone, ignoring the bickering kids. In ten minutes he’d be there, he fiddled with his fingers as the song changed once again.

\---

The moment Kei got off the bus, he opened his umbrella and, squinting at his phone screen, made his way through a blue-collar shopping district. Turning right, as Google Maps instructed, the atmosphere of the street changed. Several printing companies were sitting in a row on the hill road, and the faint smell of ink mingled with the rain.

“This is the place?”

The address on the business card belonged to a small, run-down shop. A patently old-fashioned awning sign jutted out from the front. Kei double-checked his phone and the business card. This was it. He took a step closer and noticed the rusty plate secured to a fence by the road’s shoulder that said Nekoma-Fukurodani Planning (Ltd.), and beside the company name, there was an arrow pointing downward.

‘Ah, so there’s a semi-basement.’

The place was sketchy, to say the least, and looked old and shabby. If Kei wasn’t so desperate, he’d have left a long time ago. Warily, he folded his umbrella and started down the narrow stairs. They weren’t even three feet wide.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

There was a shuffle from the inside and the door opened. The man was not the person Kei et on the bus for sure. First of all, he knew how to style his hair. The man’s messy black hair looked stylish and effortless, his gunmetal blue eyes shone. Not to mention the cool, composed aura he brought with him made Kei feel ten times dirty.

The man raised one impeccable eyebrow, “I was not expecting visitors.”

“I got a business card?” Kei procured the crumpled slip of paper and handed over to the man. “He said I could go to him if I needed anything.”

“Kuroo Tetsurou,” the man's expression turned exasperated, “yes he does like to pick up strays. You can come in.”

He stepped aside and lead Kei inside the building.

\---

“Kuroo-san did mention that we might have a potential assistant soon.” The man, Akaashi Keiji he introduced himself as had his back to him as he spoke.

Behind the bar counter was a living room almost one-eighty square feet in area that was seemingly serving as the company’s office. Kei sat on a chair, staring at the table as Akaashi fixed the two drinks in the small kitchen.

“He did?”

“Last time we had Haiba Alisa and her brother Lev. Tall kids they were, very enthusiastic too.”

“What happened to them?”

“They’re safe now, Kuroo-san fixed them up to live with another friend I believe.”

Akaashi set an iced coffee in front of him, “Your name is Tsukishima Kei?”

“Yes.”

The man nodded to himself, sipping his coffee. “Do you have any questions so far, Tsukishima-san?”

“Uh… is there anyone else working here? I mean, besides you and Kuroo-san.”

A fond smile graced Akaashi’s face, as he rests his head on his palm. “My boyfriend, Bokuto Koutarou. I believe that won’t be a problem?”

“Not at all.” That was the reason he ran away.

Just then, the door opened.

“AWKAASHIII!”

“Hey, you’re here.”

Two people stood at the doorway. One was the bed hair man, Kuroo Tetsurou, who then tossed a can of beer at him, promptly plucked away by Akaashi. “It’s been a while, did you lose some weight?”

The other man, Bokuto Koutarou Kei assumed, sported a spiky white-grey coloured hair with black streaks. His round, golden eyes spotted Kei and he greeted the boy. “Hey! Hey! Hey! If it isn’t the assistant!”

“Koutarou, please turn down your volume.”

Kuroo dropped down heavily on to the low sofa beside the table. “So, kid, you’re looking for a job, right?” He had a cocky smirk on his face. Pulling a magazine out of the pile below the sofa, he held it up for Kei to see. “This is what the company’s working on right now: a commission to write articles for a magazine with a long influential history!”

The cover of the magazine held an illustration of a pyramid, a planet, and an enormous, eerie eye. ‘Illuminati much?’ he thought, flipping through the pages.

“The next job is about urban legends,” Kuroo seemed to be smiling faintly. “Meet with some people, interview them, turn it into an article. Boom, done.”

“Uhh…”

“Easy right?!” cut through Bokuto. ‘He sure was muscular’ though Kei idly as the man went on a tangent about his past interviews, egged on by Kuroo.

Akaashi slipped his phone into Kei’s hand. There was a long list of articles on it: “Fish from the Sky,” “Miya Osamu's Dorito Body,” “Trump is a badly programmed AI,” “Elementary School Teacher from Hell,” “Activate Chakras with Smartphones,” Elevator to the Hidden World,” et cetera, et cetera…

“What about this one? It’s close to home,” he said, pointing to an item on the list. “The fabled ‘one-hundred percent sunshine boy.’ According to the internet, anyway.”

“Sunshine boy?”

“I’m a sunshine boy!” Bokuto raised his hand cheerfully.

Kuroo put on a thoughtful face, “It’s been raining all the time lately. On TV, they were saying we've got a new record for the number of rainy days in a row. I’m guessing the demand is probably there.”

“Uh…”

“What? Scared?”

“It just so happens that we’ve scheduled an interview for this afternoon, so this is perfect,” interjected Akaashi, “you and Koutarou can go.”

“R-right now?”

Bokuto clapped his hands, “It’ll be like a test run before you get the job!” he said excitedly.

“You mean he’s an intern,” Kuroo corrected.

“Oo! Oo! Keiji, who are we interviewing?! Is it that fortune-teller lady? Or maybe the shop girl down the street? Or is it-”

Kuroo sent a smirk towards Kei. “Best of luck, kid. You’ll do fine.”

\---

“So? How was it?”

Kei rolled his eyes, he took out my earphones and looked up from the screen of the MacBook. Kuroo stood over him, backlit by the office’s fluorescent lights.

“It’s all bullshit. The fortune-teller, who sounded like a Vocaloid, went on and on about a bunch of made-up stuff from a light novel. Something about people disappearing if they use too much of their power.”

“It was one of those, huh?” Kuroo was grinning.

‘What the fuck?’

“The weather’s got nothing to do with dragon-god types and Inari types and Gaia and personalities and good-looking people. It’s all fronts and pressure changes and whatnot.”

“Look, kid,” Kuroo said, suddenly bristling, “We all know that, hell I was top of my class in science; our job is to provide some fun. Don’t act like entertaining the masses is beneath you.”

Kuroo peered at the screen of the MacBook, reading the draft Kei was working on.

“This all you got? Damn, taking your sweet time aren’t ya.”

“Excuse me?”

“...It’s not bad though,” he muttered under his breath, “You’re hired.”

Kei’s eyes narrowed, “What’s the catch?”

“Oh, you wound me Tsukki-”

“Don’t call me that.”

“You get to live here at the office.”

“Huh?”

“Meals included!” added Bokuto from the kitchen. Akaashi gave a brief chuckle as he brought the food over with Bokuto’s help.

There was a heaping platter of fried chicken, accompanied by slivered green-onion tips and grated daikon. A salad with tomato and avocado and onions. Hand-rolled sushi with beef and celery and tuna sticking out of it. Kei was starving.

“Here,” Kuroo said, handing him a can of cola. “Okay in celebration of our new hire, Tsukishima!”

“Cheers!”

As Kei chewed his fried chicken, he realized that it had been a pretty long time since he’d eaten dinner with anybody else, even though he wanted to roll his eyes at how pushy they were.

Kuroo and Bokuto downed beer after beer with incredible gusto. They were having a great time swapping online gossip and griping about editors and trying to get Kei to open up. Akaashi was more reserved, drinking his coffee quietly, a tender smile on his lips, occasionally telling Bokuto or Kuroo off if they were going too far. It was an odd sensation, but it was far from unpleasant. Kei found himself quirking his lips up a few times. Things were looking up.

That was how his days in Tokyo began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some bokuaka fluff (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ


	3. A City of Light and Glory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If that world could be easily changed by the love which wouldn't be made fun of,  
> It's none of my business, I don't need it  
> \- God, give me the next one.

Kei took a small box off the chaotic shelves of Don Quijote. The red package was printed with a picture of a gold dragon zooming into the sky. 

‘What kind of drink is this?’

He put other stuff from the note- _Maca Clincher_ , _Turtle for Tomorrow_ and _Ginseng Mega MAX_ \- into the shopping basket, got the receipt, paid, and left the store. He had finished his errand, but instead of heading back to the bus stop, he ducked into an alley in Kabuki-cho. It was so narrow Kei had to close his umbrella to walk down it.

Every time Kei came to Shinjuku to run errands, he stopped by this alley. He made a friend too, in the form of a cat he named Rain. Kei took a CalorieMart out of his pocket, crouched down, and held it out. Contrary to popular belief, he has a soft spot for animals, one of the rare things both he and Kuroo can agree on. Rain took the snack with his front paws. Kei gave a small smile. Before he knew it, over a month had passed. October would be over soon. As always, it was a season of a never-ending downpour.

“C’mon, it’ll be fine! It’s hardly even a job!”

When Kei stepped out of the alley and opened his umbrella, he heard a man’s voice. A boy in a sleeveless maroon parka who was walking quickly, eyes lowered, walked past him, accompanied by two men who seemed to be covering his back.

“Just give it a try. We can pay you starting today. We’re right over there, see?”

The man was familiar, he had blond hair and a voice with cold laughter behind it. He felt like he knew the boy too, messy green hair and tanned skin.

Cautious, Kei followed the trio beyond the row of hotels in the back alley. It was the place where he’d fallen asleep a month ago. The boy with the green hair, the blond guy and his buddy were discussing something in front of the establishment. The boy looked mystified, and the men seemed to be trying to talk him into something.

Many things about this scene were _wrong_. But, maybe he was fine? Maybe, they all knew one another. Maybe they were only talking about work.

“Huh? Wait!”

Kei heard the boy’s muted shriek. The blond man had an arm around his shoulders and was trying to walk him into the shop by force.

“What the fuck!”

The blond, his buddy turned to the voice as the boy struggled to get out of his grip.

“Oi! Who the hell’s this punk?!”

In an instant, someone grabbed the collar of his shirt from behind.

“You little squirt!”

Kei fell faceup onto the wet asphalt, and the blond man straddled me. He smacked his cheeks lightly.

“Yo, yo, yo, yo, hey, kid-” His voice was pitched low and full of laughter, He raised his right hand, “What the hell are you trying to pull, huh?!” This time, the man slapped Kei’s cheek with everything he had.

Kei’s cheekbone thudded. The man punched him and pain burst deep. His whole body started to go numb as the taste of iron spread through his mouth.

“Please, no, stop it-” the boy the man released was shivering in the cold, Kei could imagine he was crying.

The cold feeling of fury spread through him from head to toe. The fingers of his right hand found the toy gun he kept around his waistband as protection.

“Get off of me!” On impulse, Kei pulled the gun out and pointed at the blond, or what he hoped to be the man. His glasses were wet and he couldn’t see clearly.

The men were startled for a moment, but then they laughed. “A toy? This kid really is an idiot.”

Another raindrop hit his glasses, the water blurring his vision. His heart jumped around in a wild rhythm, the men’s waves of laughter melting into the rain.

_Bang!_

The heavy roar thundered into his ears, followed by the ping of a cartridge hitting the ground and Kei was stunned. Behind the blond guy, a street lamp shattered.

The gun was real. Kei felt faint.

All of them stared at the muzzle of the weapon in wide-eyed shock until the green-haired boy grabbed Kei’s hand pulling him up. “Get up!” The blond man sat on his rear, mouth hanging open. Kei scrambled out from under him and the two boys made a break for it.

\---

Their ragged breathing echoed off the concrete walls. There was a deep puddle on the floor at our feet, and the rain blowing through the broken windows sent rings of ripples through it.

The boy had pulled Kei into an abandoned building near Yoyogi Station. Almost none of the noise from the street reached inside; only the faint sound of the Yamanote Line. The room they were in might have been some sort of restaurant; rusted stools and stables and dishes and cookware scattered amongst the weeds.

The boy broke the silence.

“What kind of stunt was that?!”

His voice echoed in the gloom. He sounded more frightened than angry, Kei wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. He glared at him, shaking from either chill or alarm. Kei didn’t answer him which pushed the other to press harder.

“What was that gun? Who are you?!”

“Look, I thought it was a toy, I was just carrying around to, like, help me feel safer. I was only trying to scare him, I wouldn’t-”

“You could’ve killed him!”

Kei had nothing to say to that. The other boy stayed quiet too, before taking a deep breath. “You should put the gun away. Minors aren’t supposed to be bringing it anyway.”

“Huh?”

The boy pointed to the side, “Put it away, I go here often I’m pretty sure I have some medicine for you.”

He strode toward the exit. His wet footsteps echoed roughly off the walls and ceilings, then he was gone.

Kei stared after him, stunned. With each passing the second, the reality of what he had done sank deep into his skin. He nearly killed someone. At the thought, Kei threw the gun away. It struck the wall with a clatter. He sank to his knees, his legs too weak. The pain in his cheek returned, throbbing stronger and stronger with each heartbeat. His thoughts were a mess of paranoia and Kei stayed huddled where he was.

After a while, he heard footsteps again. The boy stood in front of Kei, one hand shoved into his parka’s pocket, the other carrying a white case. He kneeled in front of him, taking off Kei’s glasses beforehand, and took out a cotton, dabbed something on it, and pressed it to his cheek, where the bruise was. He hissed at the touch but it felt better. It was a while before Kei spoke.

“Why were you with them?”

“I got fired.”

“Oh.” He hoped it wasn’t because of the hamburger.

“It wasn’t your fault or anything.” The boy’s voice grew smaller, “But that’s what happened, so I needed another job.”

“I'm sorry.”

The other boy chuckled, drawing his hand back and standing up (Kei missed their intimacy, but he would die before he told anyone). “No need to be, I wasn’t sure really. I’ll find another.”

He held out his hand for Kei, pulling him. 

“You’re a runaway, aren’t you?” 

“Was it that obvious?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Did you come far?”

“Um, yeah, well…” As Kei fumbled for an answer, the other boy's smile turned mischievous.

“You’ve come all the way to Tokyo, but it’s been raining for the whole time hasn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“Follow me!” The boy took Kei’s hand naturally and lead him up the rusty iron staircase.

\---

The roof of the building was not an attractive place. The floor tiles were fractured and covered with green weeds. A fine, misty rain was falling over everything. In the distance, Kei saw gray silhouettes of various high-rise buildings whose name he didn’t know.

“Watch. The sun’s going to come back now.”

“The sun’s going to what?” Kei glanced at the sky and saw grey clouds and the same rain as ever. When he turned back to the boy, his hands were clasped and his eyes closed, as if in prayer. “What do you mean…?” he started before he broke off.

The freckled boy was glowing ever so faintly. No, that wasn’t it. A pale light was shining on him. The wind began to blow, softly tussling his green hair. Kei was captivated at the sight. The light was getting brighter and brighter, and his skin and hair glistened goldenly. It can’t be-

“Whoa…”

Above us, the clouds had split to reveal dazzling sunlight. Sparkling raindrops grew fewer and far between, and the rain stopped. As if someone had turned off the faucet. The next thing he knew, the world around them had been repainted in vivid color. Blue window glass panes, pure-white walls, signs in red and yellow and blue, silver rails, and colourful cars- Tokyo was overflowing with different hues.

“A sunshine boy…?” Kei recalled from his first interview.

The boy sniggered into his hand. “I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi. You are?”

“...Tsukishima Kei.”

“How old are you?”

“Uh, fifteen.”

“Hmm.” The boy cocked his head, looking up at him as if deep in thought. Another brilliant smile. “So you’re younger than me, huh.”

“Really?”

“You see… I’ll be eighteen in November!”

“You sure don’t look it.”

The boy seemed young, at most, Kei’s age. He smiled proudly this time. All his smiles reminded Kei of the stars.

“I get that a lot haha.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks tinged pink.

He then lifted his face to the sky, relishing the moment, and reached up, stretching his arm out overhead. His palm cast a shadow across his face.

“It’s nice to meet you, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said, meeting Kei’s eyes with a dazzling smile, and Kei knew something was about to begin. The other boy held his right hand out to the blond. When he shook it, Yamaguchi’s palm held the warmth of the sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that felt a bit rushed but i hope you enjoyed it!


	4. The Sunshine Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I cannot find a song I want to listen to, but at the start of this sullen day  
> By hearing just your exaggerated “good morning,” everything had changed, how strange  
> Your words, for some reason, feel like the profound lines that you would see  
> Being recited during the climax of a movie  
> -and I like that

Kei found it odd that Yamaguchi had neither a smartphone nor a cell phone. As a result, he’d given him a small handwritten note with his address on it. The freckled boy’s apartment building was pretty old, ivy climbing all over it. According to the memo, Yamaguchi’s room was the last one on the second floor. At the top of the iron stairs, Kei could see a distant elevated Shinkansen track. 

The blond knocked on the door.

_Click._

The familiar face of Yamaguchi poked out.

“Hey, Tsukki! Oh, is that for me?” he asked, pointing at the plastic bag Kei was holding.

“...Yes.”

“Wow, that’s so nice of you! Thanks!”

Yamaguchi took it, smiling, then opened the door wider to invite Kei in. He let the blond boy take off his shoes in the smallest entryway Kei had ever seen.

The apartment was overflowing with colour. There was a little kitchen just beyond the entryway, a living room even smaller than the office, and one more room beyond that. It was a cozy little floor plan meant for a family. Each room was partitioned off by multi coloured quilt curtains and decorated with small pictures, dinosaur figurines (Kei had to take a look at that one), and a volleyball sat in the corner of the room. There was a round wooden window in the living room, with strings of transparent glass beads hanging in it like a sort of suncatcher. The vibrant coloured decorations decked all around the apartment was so on-brand with Yamaguchi, Kei couldn’t help but smile a bit as he sat huddled up at the low tea table in the living room.

“Have you had lunch yet, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi called from the kitchen.

“Not yet.”

Grinning (Kei was starting to wonder if his mouth muscles ever hurt from the amount of smiling he did), he told the blond, “Alright- just sit. Mind if I use these?”

Kei looked over at him, he was holding the potato chips and chicken ramen Kei had bought for him.

“Of course, I did buy them for you to use.”

“Sorry, Tsukki!” 

With that, Yamaguchi disappeared back to cook.

Kei looked around the room again. The suncatcher in the window swayed in the breeze, reflecting the weak light it had gathered from the rainy sky and casting a faint pattern. The sliding doors over the closet had been removed and redesigned as a built-in bookshelf. There were picture books, educational magazines, light novels and comics, and even thick hardcover books. A small electric sewing machine sat in the corner of the living room and, with a startle, Kei realized that most of the decorations here were handmade.

‘How did he have all of these, but still not have a smartphone?’

“Yamaguchi, do you live by yourself?”

He hummed, “With my little brother. Some things happened. It’s better now.”

Kei didn’t want to push further; that was private. Yamaguchi didn’t mind though. He was happily snipping leaves that looked like sprouts with kitchen shears.

As Yamaguchi bustled around, Kei watched him out of the corner of his eye. The boy wore a dark blue, sleeveless pullover, the word TACOS printed on it, and tan shorts. His green hair, Kei realized, was a bit longer than he last saw back in McDonald's. Yamaguchi had taken to tying it back with black hair ties, some he wore as bracelets on his wrist.

“What about you, Tsukki? Why did you run away?” There was a pause, and Yamaguchi hastily added, “I- I mean if you’re comfortable to share of course.”

“My dad wasn’t the most accepting,” Kei hoped that was enough to satisfy the other. Vague enough to imply anything, clear enough to provide a reason. 

“I see.”

Yamaguchi’s brief reply had no judgment. He said it with a smile and nothing more. He cracked an egg, separating the yolk and white into different bowls with practiced ease, then scrambled them quickly. He poured a quick drizzle of oil into a hot frying pan, and the scent of sesame oil and ginger soon followed. Taking cold rice out the fridge, he dumped it into the pan and began to stir-fry it, creating the heavenly-sounding sizzle. Still plying it with the wooden spoon, Yamaguchi asked another question.

“You’re not going back I assume?”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“I see.”

Yamaguchi opened the bag of potato chips, crunched them up with his hands, then mixed them into the contents of the frying pan.

\---

“And I present to you! Bean-sprout potato-chip fried rice with sesame oil, aaand super crunchy chicken salad!” 

Kei can’t help but smile slightly at his excitement. Generally, he didn’t like hot-headed people, but Yamaguchi was different. A different brand of excited, an endearing kind of excited.

Yamaguchi set the food on the table and Kei’s mouth watered at the sight. On top of each heaping helping of fried rice with potato chips, there was a glossy raw egg with a circle of little leaves around it. The salad on the big platter had large chunks of broken chicken ramen noodles.

“It looks-”

Yamaguchi clapped his hands in realization, “Sorry, Tsukki. Forgot the onions!”

From the kitchen, he brought a glass with a thick tassel of green onions growing in it. He snipped away at them with his kitchen shears, letting the bits fall into the Chinese soup he had made. The chunks of fluffy, white fish floating in it were joined by flecks of bright green.

“There we go! Sorry, Tsukki, what were you saying?”

Kei swallowed, “The food looks really good.”

Yamaguchi gave him another one of his dazzling smiles, “Thanks, Tsukki! Okay, let’s eat for real this time!”

“Thanks for the food.”

\---

“Tsukki, I don’t know about this?”

Yamaguchi was reading his notebook, a concerned look on his face. It was a blueprint for Kei’s idea: ‘The Sunshine Boy Business’ website (that name had to be changed soon, it would ruin Kei’s reputation). After the two had finished eating, he’d set the iPad he brought with him from the office on the table. Pencils, erasers, label tags, and other writing materials were scattered around it.

“You have a talent that no one else has, Tokyo’s been raining all through the year, with this many planned events have been cancelled that may or may not cost a loss in many for others. The market is there, don’t you want to use this to your advantage?” Kei pointed out, “Besides, you really can clear the skies just by praying right?”

“Uh, yes.”

“Then-”

“But what if it doesn’t work?” he interrupted.

“Are you saying you can’t do it?”

“I can…”

“Then I don’t see a problem. You need a job anyway right?”

“Well yeah, but… I’m not sure about making money from this…” Yamaguchi mumbled, picking at a mini shortcake from the convenience store. Then she sighed, “But, I need the money. Don’t you think five thousand yen is a bit too much?”

“Is it?” Kei selected the text and reentered the numbers. “You want to make it three thousand.”

“Hm… I still need to make a living from it…” Yamaguchi typed in 3,500 and Kei cut in.

“Wait if it’s too cheap, it’ll look fake.”

“True, but it can’t be too expensive either.”

Both boys went back and forth on this compromising and giving ideas.

“Should we only make people pay if it works?” asked Kei.

“That’s possible, and use discretionary pricing.”

“Make it first time free and trying for word-of-mouth advertising?”

“That could work, but wait I’ve gotta make a living…”

Before they knew it, it was dark outside. Through the windows, Kei could see the lights of a distant Shinkansen.

“Ah! It’s done!” announced Yamaguchi. The finished website had a big picture of a sun and the words ‘Sunshine for you!’ in colourful characters. A very Yamaguchi aesthetic. Beside it was a cart icon that showed a 3,400 yen price, tax included, and a request form with fields for _Desired date and time_ , _Desire location for sun_ , _E-mail address_ and W _hy do you want the sun?_

Hovering his finger over the PUBLISH icon, Kei told him, “I’m uploading it, okay.”

Just then, there was a click as the door to the apartment opened.

“Nii-san! I’m hoooome! Sardines were really cheap today yanno, so I….Hm? Who’s this?”

The boy standing at the doorway, glaring at Kei was a grade-schooler wearing a school backpack and carrying a supermarket bag. The boy looked familiar. His dark brown hair is swept outwards, eyes of the same shade as Yamaguchi’s.

“Tooru! Welcome back, you bought sardines?”

“How come I have to tell you when Iwa-chan comes by but you don’t ask me when you bring someone?!”

Yamaguchi tousled the boy’s hair, “Because I’m oldest. Tooru this is my friend, Tsukishima Kei. Tsukki, my brother Oikawa Tooru.”

Kei frowned, “Oikawa?”

“We’re step-siblings!” Oikawa hugged Yamaguchi, sticking his tongue out at Kei.

“Tooru…” Yamaguchi sighed in exasperation, “let me put the sardines, there’s food on the table for you if you’d like.”

“Thanks!”

Just then-

_Ting-a-ling!_

The iPad chimed. Kei glanced at the screen, “We got a request.”

“What!” Yamaguchi’s head popped out of the kitchen, “you already uploaded it?!”

“I did tell you,” the blond replied, “It’s for tomorrow.”

“We- We are doing this, huh. Huh.”

The TV happened to be in the middle of the weather forecast, and the woman on the screen was smoothly announcing tomorrow’s predictions.

_“We’ll be seeing rain over a wide area again tomorrow.”_

“And it’ll be raining!” Yamaguchi shrieked.

“That’s the entire point, Yamaguchi.”

“What on earth are you guys talking about?” asked Oikawa with his mouth full.

Yamaguchi turned to his brother, “Tooru, don’t talk with your mouth full,” he turned back to Kei, “What kind of request is this? Is it a little one? From a kid or something?”

The blond leaned closer to the screen, “It says they want you to make it sunny for a flea market.”

“Oh my god, it’s _serious_!” Yamaguchi disappeared back inside, “both of you bring your plates here, I’ll wash the dishes. Tooru, go do your homework.”

“You better tell me what you two are talking about, alright!”

“I will, I will.” Yamaguchi sent a desperate look towards Kei, to which Kei shrugged in return. The freckled boy sighed, “I’ll get ready then.”

\---

  
  


The flea market was in Odaiba, along a gorgeous promenade that ran between the Fuji TV building and the Hilton hotel. It was a picturesque place, you could shoot a TV drama.

Rows of tents had been set up, and a few shoppers with umbrellas were circulating among them. The four of them (Oikawa had insisted on bringing his friend, Iwaizumi Hajime, along with them) stood on an observation platform that projected out into Tokyo Bay.

Yamaguchi was praying desperately, hands clasped and eyebrows scrunched. Kei stood beside him, held an umbrella over the boy, stealing glances to make sure he was alright. Iwaizumi and Oikawa shared a smaller umbrella, alternating from looking at the sky, looking at Yamaguchi, and looking around the market.

Kei was starting to worry about Yamaguchi and his powers, cold sweat had started running down his face, trembling slightly. Then it happened.

“You’re kidding! It actually cleared up!”

Hearing a voice from the sponsor’s tent, Kei looked up at the sky and smiled. The thick clouds had parted, and the sun was shining through. Up until a little bit ago, it had been chilly due to the rain but now the temperature was rising rapidly. The gray ocean turned a vivid blue, the Rainbow Bridge shone white, and every single car that drove across gleamed happily.

\---

“How was that?”

Yamaguchi was out of breath after running over to the sponsor’s tent, but he sounded triumphant.

“Boy, was that a shock!”

“You really can stop the rain huh.”

The people walking along the promenade closed their umbrellas and looked up at the sky, savoring the first sunburst in a long time.

“Pretty impressive, even if it’s just a coincidence!”

“It wasn’t a coincidence!” protested Oikawa and Iwaizumi restrained him with a “Quiet, dumbass.”

“Here, will twenty thousand yen do?” the old guy asked, putting money in Yamaguchi’s hand.

“That- That’s too much sir!”

“Consider it a bonus, lad. Thank you again!”

“I had some serious doubts at first, but these kids are amazing.”

With every praise Yamaguchi received, his cheeks turned redder and redder, speech more flustered. It was hard to say whether they believed in the Sunshine Boy, but they were happy and that’s all that mattered.

\---

“That was fantastic, nii-san!”

“That was pretty cool, Tadashi-san.”

“Thank you two, I think I can do this now.”

Kei nodded along with those three, all of them making their way back to the apartment. That was their first day of the Sunshine Business. With that first success, requests were bound to pile up soon, but, from the corner of his eye he saw the three boys celebrating, he was glad it worked out anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter there'll be lots of cameos of other haikyuu characters and their jobs. the problem is i don't know what i should change daichi's job into?? because him being a cop is very (눈_눈) (눈_눈)


	5. Testimonies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once I tell you why it can only be you,  
> Will you be next to answer back?  
> Would both rain and shine become bothered  
> By whimsical companionship?
> 
> -if so, I’d be fine with that

_ Client Sawamura Daichi (age 24), bridegroom, elementary sports teacher _

When I first heard about it, I was very sceptical. I mean, who wouldn’t? That said, Koushi had always been interested in those things/ Fortunes, lucky items, feng shui and power spots, stuff like that? When we were picking out our new home, he wanted to get a reading for our house’s aspect; there’s a lucky tree in our bedroom, he buys lucky rake talismans, and he visits every shrine we come across. It’s not a huge deal, though, so I don’t really mind; it’s actually kinda reassuring.

So, I thought as long as it made him feel better, I sent in a request. The price was affordable, and I like tossing a little money at online crowdfunding projects. I was paying for the experience, and plus, I didn’t have much to lose.

Also, to be honest, I really wanted to see my future husband in his suit under a blue sky, you know? It’s the least he deserves to have on our happiest day.

_ Client Inuoka Sou (age 15), Nekoma High School first-year, Volleyball Club member _

It’s been raining all the time this year. On TV, they’re always talking about how it’s not normal, what with global warming and climate change and extreme temperatures, but it’s sorta becoming the new normal. I think it’s a major problem.

But I’ve got a bigger problem. I have a crush on a close friend of mine and he loves stargazing! The Perseid meteor shower is my last chance! If it rains, we’re gonna cancel and he’ll be sad!

It rained on the Star Festival earlier too, and Orihime and Hikoboshi didn’t get to see each other remember? My crush has been really sad lately because it’s been raining and I just want him to be happy! I’m begging you, please make it a clear night so we can go stargazing!

_ Client Hinata Shouyou (age 15), Karasuno High School first year and Volleyball Club member _

I want to practice volleyball with Kageyama outside!

\---

_ Sawamura Daichi _

Four kids showed up on the day; two of them were about ten years old, still in grade school. 

I was surprised, I almost asked if they were familiar with the Labor Standards Act. Apparently, one of the boys (the freckled one) was in college and his answers were very professional. They were all very polite, including the high school boy and the grade schoolers. They were just really pleasant kids.

The weather cleared up right up, it was so bright. We had a rooftop wedding in Omotesando, and you could see the rain still coming down over by the Hills. Yes, the rain only stopped around us. The view was even more spectacular than it would have been on a truly sunny day. The drops inside that curtain of rain were sparkling in the sunlight. It only stopped for an hour, but it was a fantastic experience.

I’m not sure how to put it but everything seems brighter under blue skies, even smiles. When I saw Koushi that day, smiling so brightly, it hit me, it really hit me, that I was going to be sharing the rest of my life with this beautiful, beautiful man and I couldn’t have it any other way.

He said 3,400 yen was too cheap, and I’m pretty sure he paid them fifty thousand. We were so happy we took a souvenir photo with all of them.

_ Inuoka Sou _

We watched the meteor shower from the roof of the school. I’ve never seen my crush so excited before his expression nearly melted my heart. He’s been having a rough time practicing his receives and I’m so happy that he feels better now! Sunshine Boy, 3,400 yen is far too little to pay for this. 10/10 would recommend.

_ Hinata Shouyou _

I’ve been so bored playing volleyball inside my house since I can’t play volleyball outside unless it’s school so when I heard about the Sunshine Business I immediately requested because I want to practice my new quick with Kageyama. When I told him about it he said it was bullpoop and I told him to read the testimonies!

The Sunshine Boy was really nice! He knows how to play volleyball so we all played together. His float serve was so cool!! His price was too cheap for this but he said that being able to play volleyball with us was good enough.

\---

Kei woke up at seven in the morning.

The snacks and empty cans that were left around the night before had been cleared away. Kei gave the bathroom a quick cleaning himself. Akaashi was already awake. While he was grilling the cut of saloon Kei had bought on sale, he chopped an onion, then simmered it in a broth. He put some green spring onions from the kitchen garden in the pot, added tofu and miso. While Akaashi waited for it to come to a boil, Kei sliced okra and mixed it with natto, then he went to prepare the dishes.

Just like yesterday, a humid rain was falling. Akaashi poured the soup and the two of them ate their breakfasts, talking idly about the next interviews and projects. After that, Kei spent the rest of the morning cutting out magazine articles they’ve worked on and filing them away as Akaashi organized receipts and invoices.

“Kuroo and Bokuto are going to wake up soon,” said Akaashi, gazing at the clock. It was past noon. “You said something about meeting someone about right now?”

“Oh- Oh yes.”

“Come back before dinner, if you can,” Akaashi looked at the boy from the corner of his eye, “Have fun.”

“Thank you, Akaashi-san.”

Sharing a small smile with the older man, Kei left the office.

\---

Oikawa and Kei got off the train at the National Stadium station.

Both the grounds of the station and the area outside were teeming with people, many of them wearing yukata. They were walking along the side of the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, slowly making their way to the outer shrine gardens, umbrellas in hand.

“I’ve never actually seen this before! I’m totally looking forward to it!”

“But if this rain keeps up, won’t they postpone?”   
  


“They said they’d make the announcement after noon.”

“It’s already after noon.”

“After I changed clothes and came all the way out here too…”

“No, it’s still too soon to give up!”

Before long, an enormous white dome-shaped building came into view. Kei’s eyes widened, “That’s the Olympic stadium?”

“I keep forgetting you’re a country hick, Tsukki,” Oikawa teased. “All right, I’m meeting up with Iwa-chan, Mattsun and Makki here. Tell nii-san good luck from me!”

After saying goodbye to Oikawa, Kei headed for Roppongi Hills.

\---

“On the Internet, we saw people saying the one-hundred percent Sunshine Boy is really something. And word of the mouth backs it up,” said a man in a sharp-looking suit. He had a staff ID and a security pass hanging around his neck. He seemed to find the whole thing amusing.

Kei remembered the way the venue had looked when he’d seen it earlier and recalling how enormous this request was, he felt uneasy. They were in a shiny elevator with a wood-paneled interior and highly polished metal ceiling and floor. The floor number display ticked up.

Forty-six.

Forty-seven.

Forty-eight.

Taking Kei’s silence as nervousness, the man smiled gently. “We aren’t pinning the success or failure of the event on the Sunshine Boy. There’s absolutely no need for you to feel pressured,” he reassured. “The rain is an annual issue for us. As a matter of fact, it isn’t unusual for u s to postpone due to the rain. That’s just how it goes sometimes. The thing is, this year is rather, erm…”

He smiled with chagrin and shook his head wearily.

“Even if we postpone the event, they’re forecasting rain all the way to the end of the month. At that point, we’re kind of willing to try anything.” He didn’t appear to be too down as he explained.

Kei nodded in response. In Tokyo this year, all sorts of people wanted a break from the endless rain for their own personal reasons, meaning their ‘sunshine business’ had grown more popular than Kei had ever imagines. The 100% Sunshine Boy was becoming an internet legend. All Yamaguchi could summon were short sunbursts over a limited range, but that only made her seem more mystical.

A soft chime sounded in the elevator, announcing their arrival. Kei’s hands fidgeted to touch something, he looked at the back of Yamaguchi’s yukata in front of him. As if he could feel Kei watching him, he looked back and gave him one of the brightest smiles Kei has seen.

\---

The Roppongi Hills rooftop sky deck reminded me of a ship in the blustering wind and rain.

There was an enormous heliport in its center, and a lot of antennas like masts. Red lights at the tips of several of them blinked slowly like sacred torches. Down below, the ground was covered in thin mist, and the buildings jutting up out of it looked like ancient pillars rising from the sea. Night hasn’t fallen, and yet scattered lights were visible all across the city.

Yamaguchi walked due west across that vast roof, toward where the evening sun should have been. He moved like an undefeated athlete, the same look he had on when they had played with the two volleyball teens, a look that sent shivers down Kei’s spine and put butterflies in his stomach. Before long, he reached the western edge, clasped his hands and closed his eyes. That was how he delivered their wishes- everyone’s wishes- to the sky.

\---

_ Drawing a deep breath to fill his lungs with fresh air, Tadashi slowly folds his hands. Closes his eyes. The rain and wind strike his skin, tugging at his hair. The sensation tells him that he is cut off from the world, _

_ Inside his head, he begins to count. One, two, three, four. It brings his head into focus while everything else falls away, and then he scatters the numbers all over his body. He imagines them mixing with his hot, bright-red blood, flowing from his head to the rest of his body. His thoughts blur into his emotions until Tadashi can think with his toes and feel with his head. _

_ Gradually, curiously, he can feel himself becoming one with everything. His boundaries are dissolving into the world. He is wind and water; rain is thought and mind. He is prayer and echo; he is the air whistling around him. A peculiar happiness and keen sorrow spread through him.  _

_ Slowly, voices begin to reach him as something more basic than words, a vibration in the air. Human wishes, Tadashi would guess. They have heat. They have rhythm. They have meaning. They hold a power that can change the world. _

\---

The sky beyond Yamaguchi began to glow orange, outlining his hair and yukata in gold.

The clouds had split, and the setting sun had broken through.

The adults in suits marveled at the sight. Kei stared, too. No matter how many times he saw this, he would never get used to it.

The sunset dyed them all red. Like candles burning low, buildings all across Tokyo shone bright in the last rays of the sun until it slowly sank behind a distant ridgeline.

The wind carried the announcement from the outer gardens.

_ “The Jingu Gaien fireworks display will do on as planned, beginning at seven pm-” _

The fireworks looked beautiful. The clouded sky lit up more brilliantly than a clear one would have. The fireworks flickered, colourful smoke rose, and thousands of window panes glittered and shone.

Kei and Yamaguchi had been given special permission to stay on top of the Roppongi Hills building to watch the fireworks. The rain-washed air was just a little cool and familiar; out of nowhere, Kei had a strong sense of deja vu, as if he’d been there before with the scent of gunpowder in his nose, a long time ago. Either that, or Kei might smell it again, there beside Yamaguchi.

“Hey, Tsukki?”

Kei grunted in response.

“I really really like this job.” His wide eyes were fixed on the fireworks, “It’s like I’ve finally discovered what my role is.”

Yamaguchi smiled again. It wasn’t the dazzling smile that Kei had seen hundreds of times on his face. This one more strange, shy for a lack of better word, and held an emotion Kei couldn’t quite put a finger on.

“Thank you, Tsukki.”

_ Boom! _

A firework exploded above our heads and Yamaguchi looked up again. A flower of light bigger than the rest scattered into flickering points of illumination.

“It’s so pretty,” Yamaguchi muttered, and Kei couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

_Weather is such a strange thing, is it not? How it’s change can affect someone’s emotions so deeply and having the power to change that and bring light to other’s life_ \- ‘He looks prettier than the stars,’ Kei thought idly- _Yamaguchi can move their hearts so much._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I'm correct, this is where the fluff more or less ends! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ Thank you so much for reading! (≧◡≦)

**Author's Note:**

> (o´∀`o) uwu this was written last year but quarantine made me continue it lmao
> 
> kudos and comments add ten years to my life span ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ 
> 
> follow me on twitter dot com (@XeepZorg) if you'd like!


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